Amongst my whole class of studious and proper 18 year olds, I remember an older-than-the-rest person in a well-worn blue jersey, using an old notebook and a pencil, diligently taking notes in class.
Over the next month, as I got to know more about him and his work prior, I also got to know that there was a chance that he would have to discontinue from studies at the department of Zoology at MCC. That was my first introduction to Satish Bhaskar, a man who in many ways pioneered marine turtle field research in this part of the world, a man who in a more just world should have taught us field biology was refused a seat because his pre-college certificate was cambridge or something and therefore not applicable in the new world order. Within the next year, Satish was awarded the Rolex Award for Enterprise for his work. I remember Rom’s scathing remarks about education with reference to Satish at a Zoological Society meeting in college.
Five years later, in 1988, I asked Rom for help with the little initiative I was struggling with – the SSTCN. His advice – the best chap to help us was Satish Bhaskar. Satish wasn’t much given to what most people thrived on – talking. He was and still probably is a quiet one. But, if you asked a halfway intelligent question, you would get a very considered answer. He could walk and walk he did. While the rest of us did the more familiar stretch from Besant Nagar to Neelankarai, Satish would walk alone in from the other direction, from Uthandi or further up.
Each Olive Ridley nest averaged about a hundred or more eggs. Since nesting was infrequent, few and far between, we carried only a couple of bags. One night as Satish and I walked, we found three nests rather quickly. To my surprise, he hung them high on a convenient tree away from the shore and we continued walking. Two more nests and no bags. Off came his full sleeved shirt and into each knotted sleeve went a nest each. Its been a long time and I cant say for sure whether we found more nests and we put them into his similarly knotted jeans. I think he did.
His approach and commitment set standards for the rest of us.
I’ve lost touch. I hear that he lives with his family in Goa. Next trip.
